Writing Your Resume for a Work from Home Job When applying for a work from home job, your resume is the first impression that potential employers will get. As we all know, first impressions are everything, and it’s important that you take the time to write a resume that will make you stand out as a virtual job applicant. Employers offering legitimate home based jobs receive hundreds and in some cases thousands of resumes each week. Resumes that are improperly formatted, submitted improperly, filled with spelling and grammatical errors, or lacking the required information will be scanned quickly and filed away without further consideration. Formatting Your Resume When formatting your resume, prepare it in both plain text and Microsoft Word document versions. Having your resume available in both file formats will save you time later and satisfy the requirements of most employers. If you do not have Microsoft Word installed on your computer, OpenOffice.org offers a free alternative called Writer. Your resume is not the place to showcase your creativity. Don’t use fancy fonts. Use a standard font such as Arial or Times New Roman in 10 or 12 point size. Don’t use colors other than black, and don’t center information. It should be left-justified. This will make your resume easier to read and increase the likelihood it gets reviewed. Submitting Your Resume How you submit your resume will depend on the employer’s requirements. Some companies will require that you upload your resume to their website, others will ask that you attach it to an email message, and some will require you to copy and paste it into the body of an email message. Be sure you submit it as required. Failure to do so may cost you the job. Spelling and Grammar Resumes filled with misspelled words and grammatical errors are unlikely to lead to a job. All standard word processing software has spell-check. Use it. Read over your final version several times, checking for common mistakes such as using “their” for “there”. It may also be helpful to have someone else read it. Required Information Be sure you include all of the required information in your resume. Required information is your personal contact information, an objective statement, work experience, skills, education and references. Contact Information Place your personal contact information at the top of your resume in the following format: First Name Last Name Address City State Zip Phone Number Email Address Objective Statement Your objective statement should follow your contact information. It should be no more than two or three sentences and state specifically what type of position you are seeking. You can also briefly mention experience and skills you possess relevant to the position you are applying for. Work Experience Your work experience is next. Only relevant work experience must be included, unless otherwise requested by the company. For each position, include job title, company name, dates of employment (month and year), and responsibilities. Education List your educational accomplishments. Be sure to include any degrees, certifications and specialized training you have received. Skills List any skills you possess relevant to the position you are seeking. Include such things as typing, computer skills, Internet, email, and specific business software programs you may be required to use on the job, such as Microsoft Word. References List at least three references. Include the contact name, job title, company name, location and phone number. Final Considerations When writing your resume for a work at home job, keep this in mind. Your goal is to show that you have the specific skills and abilities required by the job you are applying for, and that you are able to work independently without direct supervision. Use each section of your resume to present information that supports these conclusions.